All wheel drive scraper-bulldozer



Nov. 3, 1959 G. E. AMINGTON ALL. WHEEL DRIVE scRAPER-EULLDOZER Nov. 3, 1959 G. E. ARMINGTON ALL WHEEL DRIVE SCRAPERABULLDOZER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 19. 1954 atent 2,910,790 Patented Nov. 3, 1959 Pice ALL WHEEL DRIVE scRAPaR-BULLDOZER George E. Armington, Gates Mills, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 19, 1954, Serial No. 463,138 10 Claims. (Cl. 37`117.5)

This invention relates to improvements in a bowl type digging and carrying scraper and more-particularly to the combination of a bowl type digging and carrying scraper and a bulldozer blade mounted thereon.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a bowl type digging and carrying scraper having a bulldozer blade mounted thereon.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine having a combined bulldozer blade and digging and carrying scraper characterized by its structural simplicity, compactness of design, and versatility in operation.

Other features of this invention reside in the arrangement and design of the parts for carrying out their appropriate functions.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and description and the essential features will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a combined bowl type digging and carrying scraper and bulldozer scraper blade, while Y Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the front portion of the machine shown in Fig. l with one of the front wheels shown steered to its 90 position in dot-dash line.

Those familiar with this art will recognize that this invention may be applied in many ways, but I have chosen to illustrate the same in connection with a` four wheel drive, bowl type digging and carrying scraper disclosed in my copending U.S. patent applications, All Wheel Drive Scraper, tiled September 14, 1954, Serial No. 455,883, and Two Speed Steering, tiled September 14, 1954, Serial No. 455,882, now Patent No. 2,863,234.

The Scraper in said first-mentioned application is a self-powered, four wheel drive, bowl type digging and carrying scraper of the type generally shown in Fig. 1. The scraper includes a front frame member 1,0 and a rear frame member 15 operatively connected together. Front frame member 10 has an upwardly and forwardly extending arched yoke 11 connected at its rear to a torque tube 12 laterally extending the full width of the scraper .and having at opposite ends rearwardly extending arms 13, 13. Rear frame member 15 includes a bowl 16 fixed rigidly to the same framework as motor 22 for driving the scraper. Bowl 16 includes a blade 17 vfixed at the lower bowl edge between the generally parallel opposite side walls of said bowl and a wall 18 pivotally connected at 19 between said blade and extending the full width between the side walls to serve as the bottom and rear wall of the scraper. A fluid pressure operated ejector jack 20 is pivotally connected at opposite ends to wall 18 and therframework supporting bowl 16 so that .extension of the length of jack 20 will elevate wall 18 todump the scraper bowl load in the conventional manner. Apron 21 covers the open front of bowl 16 and has` rearwardly extending arms 21a, 21a each fixed thereto, located outside the bowl side walls, and pivoted at 2lb to its associated bowl side wall. Arms 13 of front frame member 10 extend rearwardly from torque tube 12 to straddle bowl 16 and to be operatively connected to opposite bowl side walls by horizontally aligned pivots 13a.

The scraper is driven by the single motor 22 mounted on rear frame member 15 for driving all scraper wheels comprising front pair 23 and rear pair 24 operatively connected respectively to front and rear frame members 10, 15. Motor 22 drives front wheels 23 by a drive line connection 25 extending forwardly in Figs. 1 and 2 and downwardly through the steering axis 47 in Fig. 2 in the manner described in my aforementioned copending application entitled All Wheel Drive Scraper. Front wheels 23 are carried by a steering subframe 26 to move therewith with said subframe being mounted for movement about axis 47 by a generally vertical pivot to the front of yoke 11, as shown in Figs. l and 2, with this steering subframe 26 and wheel 23 being steered in the manner disclosed in my aforementioned copendingV U.S. patent application entitled Two Speed Steering.

Drive line 25 from motor 22 to the front wheels 23 is formed by a motor output shaft 55 extending generally transverse to the rear frame member 15 into close proximity with the pivotal connection 13a between one of the arms 13 and the bowl 16; into a right angle gear box 60 having bevel gears; along the arm 13 in Fig. l and within a protecting housing 58 fixed to said arm; through said housing forwardly of the arm connection with torque tube 12 to a bevel gear drive 61 in Fig. 2 and to a bevel gear drive 62 in Fig. l mounted on the front of arch 11; downwardly along the steering axis 47 to the drive the steering wheels 23 through transfer gears in housing 63 drivingly connected to the axle of the front wheels 23 in any suitable manner with these gears in housing 63, for

example, taking the form of a differential drive. Thev mostly rotational since the gear box 60 is in close proximity with the pivotal connection 13a so as to keep the angularity within operatable angles of the universal joints on opposite ends (the end adjacent motor 22 and the end adjacent gear box 60) of the drive shaft 55.

The vertical drive line to the front axle of wheels 23 coincides with the steering axis47 to permit sharp turning. Here, the drive line has a drive line shaft por,- tion 70 in Fig. 1 extending downwardly from the bevel gear box 62 along the steering axis 47 to differential 63 with the universal joint means '71, 72. operatively connectingportions o f this shaft4 70 to correct for any misalignment while a suitable bearing rotatably supports the center portion of this shaft 70 within a bore in yoke 11 as it extends downwardly through this bore to reach differential housing 63.

Means is provided for operatively connecting these frame members with scraper bowl 16 and scraper apron 21 for relative movement therebetween and for raising and lowering bowl 16 and apron 21 independently of each other. The design of yoke 11, torque tube 12,

varms 13 and pivots 13a help provide these functions.

-port wheels 23 and of jack 31 raises and lowers lever 33 for raising and lowering apron 21 about pivots 2lb.

A bulldozer scraper blade is adjustably mounted on the scraper frame. It includes a transversely extending blade 46 located ahead of bowl 16 and front wheels 23. Push beams 41, 4l are connected to opposite ends of blade d@ and pivotally or otherwise operatively connected to front frame member l@ by depending brackets 42 with horizontally aligned pivots 43. Each bracket 42 is welded to or otherwise secured by its upper end to one of the opposite ends of torque tube 12.. These brackets 42 are within the lateral contines of the torque tube 12 so as not to increase the overall width of the machine. Since torque tube 12 is the main, laterally extending strengthening member of the digging and carrying scraper, this construction causes this strong torque tube 12 to take, as the strongest member of the scraper, the full force of the push action by push beams 41.

Blade 40 is adjustably mounted for raising and lowering. The present disclosure has a fluid pressure ac'- tuated extensible link connecting yoke 11 and blade 40 for raising and lowering blade 45B about pivots 43. This extensible link takes the form of a iluid pressure actuated cylinder 45 pivotally connected at 45a to the distal end of a bracket 44 secured at its right end to yoke 11 and a piston 46 telescopically movable within the cylinder 45 and pivotally connected at 46a to blade 49. Vhen fluid pressure is admitted to and/or exhausted from cylinder 45, blade 40 will be raised' and lowered.

Front wheels 23 are spaced laterally closer together than the rear wheels 24. Push beams 41, 41 in Fig. 2

are located far enough apart to straddle front 'wheels 23, 23 when each push beam is mounted on the outer end of torque tube 12. This spacing and construction of the parts permits 90 steering of front wheels 23 from the solid line to the dot-dash line position in Fig. 2 by having the wheels travel under the upwardly and forwardly arched yoke 11 and also keep within the coniines of the straddling push beams 41, permits the wheel base between wheels 23 and 24 to be kept relatively short and permits the arched yoke 1l to have minimum longitudinal length so as to reduce the dead weight of the machine and to provide a shorter turning radius by the shorter distance between the vertically extending steering axis and the axle of the rear wheels 24, and

permits closer lateral spacing of the front wheels 23 than the rear wheels 24 so as to eliminate rutting and to provide more even compactness of lills or other material traveled over. i

This combined bulldozer scraper blade and bowl type digging and carrying scraper has many advantages. It is a versatile machine capable of performing the functions of both a bulldozer and a digging and carrying 'scraper while minimizing the users investment since both are combined in one machine. Blade 40 can be lused for removing obstructions during excavating that cannot be practically removed or carried in the bowl 'type scraper, such as trees, etc., so that they will not interfere'with the normal operation of the digging and carrying scraper. When the machine excavate bumpy earth, blade 40, travelling ahead of sup- 24, cuts down the humps by pushing the hills into the valleys to provide a smoother path for front wheels 23 so that scraper bowl blade 1'7 is being used to will cut an evener, smoother, flatter path. Otherwise, 1f blade 40 were not used, the hills and bumps encountered would raise and lower the front wheels 23 and affect the path of travel ofblade 1'?. Also, bowl loading will be quicker and more eicient since elimination of the humps or hills will assure that bowl blade 17 is digging a generally uniform thickness of material during loading with a continuous, uniform flow of material into bowl 16 to assure ease and uniformity of operation. Hence, bowl 16 can be loaded more quickly to a maximum pay load to provide more ecient operation. Also, during ejection of the load from bowl 16, blade 40 can even out any roughness in the terrain to provide a generally smooth surface for the uniformly thick blanket of ejected material so that the resulting surface will be generally smooth since wheels 23v are not displaced vertically by bumps in the terrain during forward travel.

Various changes in details and arrangement of parts can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from either the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. In combination, a self-powered four wheel drive bowl type digging and carrying scraper, said scraper including a rear frame member supporting a scraper bowl, and a blade mounted on said scraper with said blade located beyond one end of said bowl; said scraper including a front frame member, a pair of wheels for supporting each frame member to provide front and rear wheels, means operatively connecting said frame members together for relative movement therebetween for raising and lowering said bowl, and a single motor mounted on said rear frame member for driving all wheels.

2. In combination, a bowl type digging and carrying scraper, said scraper including a bowl, and a bulldozer scraper blade mounted on said scraper and extending beyond the front end of said bowl; said scraper including a torque tube extending the full width of said bowl and having at opposite ends rearwardly extending arms straddling said bowl and operatively connected thereto, said bulldozer scraper blade including a transversely extending blade located ahead of said bowl and including pushbeams connected to opposite ends of said blade and operatively connected to opposite ends of but within the lateral connes of said torque tube.

3. In combination, a bowl type digging and carrying scraper, said scraper including a rear frame member supporting a scraper bowl, and a bulldozer scraper blade mounted on said scraper and extending beyond the front end of said bowl; said scraper including a front frame member, a pair of wheels for supporting each frame member to provide front and rear wheels, and means operatively connecting said frame members together for relative movement therebetween for raising and lowering said bowl, said means including on said front frame member a torque tube extending the full width of said bowl and having at opposite ends rearwardly extend- Aing arms straddling said bowl and operatively conn'ectedthe'reto; said bulldozer scraper blade including a transversely extending blade located ahead of said bowl, 'and pushbeam's connected to opposite ends of said blade and operatively connected to opposite ends of but within the lateral confines of said torque tube.

4. In combination, a bowl type digging and carrying scraper, said scraper including a bowl, and a bulldozer scraper blade mounted on said scraper beyond the front end'of said bowl; said scraper including an upwardly and forwardly arched yoke connected at its rear to a torque vtube extending the full width of said bowl and having at opposite ends rearwardly extending arms straddling said bowl and operatively connected thereto, and front wheels mounted by a steerable connection to the front of said yoke; said bulldozer scraper blade including a transversely extending blade located ahead of said bowl and said front wheels and including pushbeams connected to opposite ends of said blade and operatively connected to opposite ends of but within the lateral contines of said torque tube, said push beams straddling said front wheels 'and `being located far enough apart to. permit 90 `steer- 'ing of said front wheels under said yoke arch on `either side' of "afstr'aight 'ahead position.

5. In combination, a bowl type digging and carrying scraper, said sc-raper including a bowl, and a bulldozer scraper blade adjustably mounted on said scraper beyond the front end of said bowl; said scraper including a forwardly extending yoke connected at its rear to a torque tube extending the full width of said bowl and having at opposite ends rearwardly extending arms straddling said bowl and operatively connected thereto; said bulldozer scraper blade including a blade, push beams connected to opposite ends of said blade and pivotally connected to opposite ends of said torque tube, and a fluid pressure actuated extensible link operatively connecting said yoke and said blade for raising and lowering said blade.

6. In combination, a self-powered four wheel drive bowl type digging and carrying scraper and a bulldozer scraper blade adjustably mounted thereon beyond the front end thereof; said scraper including a rear frame member supporting a scraper bowl, a front frame member, a pair of wheels for supporting each frame member to provide front and rear wheels, means operatively connecting said frame members together for relative movement therebetween for raising and lowering said bowl, and means including on said front frame member an upwardly and forwardly extending arched yoke connected at its rear to a torque tube extending the full width of said bowl and having at opposite ends rearwardly extend ing arms straddling said bowl and operatively connected thereto, said front wheels being spaced laterally closer together than said rear wheels and being mounted by a steerable connection to the front of said yoke, and a single motor mounted on said rear frame member for driving all wheels; said bulldozer scraper blade including a transversely extending blade located ahead of said bowl and said front wheels, push beams connected to opposite ends of said blade and pivotally connected to opposite ends of but within the the lateral contines of said torque tube, said push beams straddling said front wheels and being located far enough apart to permit 90 steering of said front wheels under said yoke arch on either side of a straight ahead position, and a uid pressure actuated extensible link operatively connecting said yoke and said blade for raising and lowering said blade.

7. In a bowl type digging and carrying scraper of the class including a scraper bowl and including a torque tube extending the full width of said bowl and having at opposite ends rearwardly extending arms straddling said bowl and operatively connected thereto, the combination with said torque tube of a bulldozer scraper blade including a transversely extending blade located ahead of said bowl and including push beams connected to opposite ends of said blade and operatively connected to opposite ends of but within the lateral contines of said torque tube.

8. In a bowl type digging and carrying scraper having a bowl and being of the class including an upwardly and forwardly arched yoke connected at its rear to a torque tube extending the full width of said bowl and having at opposite ends rearwardly extending arms straddling said bowl and operatively connected thereto, and front wheels mounted by a steerable connection to the front of said yoke, the combination with said torque tube of a bulldozer scraper blade including a transversely extending blade located ahead of said bowl and said front wheels and including pushbeams connected to opposite ends of said blade and operatively connected to opposite ends of but within the lateral contines of said torque tube, said push beams straddling said front wheels and being located far enough apart to permit steering of said front wheels under said yoke arch on either side of a straight ahead position.

9. In a bowl type digging and carrying scraper of the class including a scraper bowl and including a forwardly extending yoke connected at its rear to a torque tube extending the full width of said bowl and having at opposite ends rearwardly extending arms straddling said bowl and operatively connected thereto, the combination with said scraper of a bulldozer scraper blade including a blade located beyond the front of said bowl, push beams connected to opposite ends of said blade and pivotally connected to opposite ends of said torque tube, and a fluid pressure actuated extensible link operatively connecting said yoke and said blade for raising and lowering said blade.

10. In combination, a bowl type digging and carrying scraper, said scraper including a rear frame member supporting a scraper bowl, and a blade mounted on said scraper beyond one end of said bowl, said scraper including a front frame member, a pair of wheels on each frame member for supporting each frame member to provide front and rear wheels, said front wheels being steerable, means operatively connecting said frame members together for relative movement between said frame members for raising and lowering said bowl, said blade being mounted ahead of said front wheels by laterally spaced push beams, said push beams being pivotally connected to said front frame member and straddling said front wheels, so that the front wheels are steerable between said push beams independently of and relative to said blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,037,080 Theillier Aug. 27, 1912 1,293,815 Leonard Feb. 11, 1919 2,182,781 Anderson et al Dec. 12, 1939 2,252,763 French Aug. 19, 1941 2,347,882 Choate et al May 2, 1944 2,383,978 LeTourneau Sept. 4, 1945 2,495,310 Armington Jan. 24, 1950 2,505,202 Peterson Apr. 25, 1950 2,565,247 LeTourneau Aug. 21, 1951 2,704,163 Christiansen Mar. 15, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,029,839 France Mar. 11, 1953 y584,697 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1947 

